Girl Power

Siemens grants Year 8s an exclusive audience to extol the merits of a STEM career.

The first day back after half-term started with a bang (quite literally) for Thornton’s Year 8s.

They had the privilege of being invited by Siemens Chief Financial Officer Maria Ferraro to a special showcase event to illustrate just how exciting a career in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths can be.

The students travelled to Siemens’ training facility in Northampton to watch and participate in a show full of eye-popping experiments and motivational stories, especially designed to open their minds to a world traditionally dominated by men.

As well as engaging the girls with explosive experiments – hydrogen-filled balloons and pyrotechnics among them – the speakers encouraged them to be open to any possibility. ‘The jobs that you may be doing in the future maybe don’t even exist yet,’ they said. ‘Don’t limit yourself to job descriptions. Think instead about your ambitions and what you want from a career.’

Four apprentices spoke about their time learning on the job at Siemens and our Year 8s also learnt a little about female role models at the cutting edge of Science and Technology. Helen Sharman was the first Britain (and a woman) in space, for example, while Jane Francis is the Director of the British Antarctic Survey and works at the South Pole.

Siemens launched the 'SeeWomen Showcase' on International Women’s Day in 2016 with the direct purpose of motivating young women to challenge gender stereotypes. Over the past year, it has been rolled out to communities across the UK. To date it has reached more than 1,000 young women, mainly from Year 7 to Year 9.